Neurotoxicity of pesticides: possible link with neurodegenerative diseases

Abstract

The toxic effect of pesticides on human being health is widely documented, so new epidemiological and clinical studies suggest that pesticides may contribute to the development of neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric diseases. Within the family of pesticides, organophosphorus and organochlorine insecticides are often the most incriminatedfor their neurotoxic nature. Acute poisoning at high doses produces well-known neurotoxic effects; however, the neurotoxicity following chronic exposure at low or moderate levels is relatively controversial. Furthermore, the link between pesticide poisoning and the genesis of Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease, as wellas autism have been established. Nevertheless, their pathophysiological and neurotoxicity mechanisms on brain and mental health remain largely unexplored. The main objective of this conference is to establish the link between poisoning by different pesticides and the genesis of neurodegenerative, mainly Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases.